1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for preventing the dropping-off of the drag washer of a reel used for fishing.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional spinning reel of the front drag type has a drag mechanism in which a plurality of drag washers are fitted around a spool shaft and located in the recess on the front of a spool fitted on the spool shaft. These drag washers are allowed to rotate around the spool shaft but cannot move in the axial direction. A drag knob screwed to the end portion of the spool shaft pushes against the drag washers to tighten the spool by a desired force. In the conventional spinning reel, a means for keeping the drag washers from dropping off during removal of the drag knob from the reel when replacing the spool includes a stopper lockring attached to the open peripheral portion of the recess of the spool. For that reason, a tool is needed to remove the stopper lockring from the reel when replacing a fatigued or damaged drag washer with a new drag washer. Removing the stopper lockring is difficult and troublesome, making the replacement of the drag washer time consuming.
Alternatively, the recess is hot-calked to prevent the drag washers from dropping-off. If the recess is hot-calked, the drag washer cannot be replaced.